Another example of a processor dying on an ASRock motherboard, with a Ryzen 9 9950X. This time, it’s not a Ryzen 7 9800X3D, but a classic processor, with no 3D V-Cache memory. This time, there are no black burn marks or anything else, just little greyish marks on the surface of the processor’s pins. So, what’s going on?
Ryzen 9 9950X: a CPU that dies on an X870 Steel Legend!
While much attention has been focused on the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, other AMD processors also seem to be affected by this problem. This time it’s a 9950X that’s affected, and this model doesn’t have 3D V-Cache memory – it’s a completely standard CPU.
Anyway, for the record, the subReddit that lists the various cases of dead CPU is now approaching 200 documented cases. Clearly, there are probably more – not every user is going to complain on Reddit after all. Nevertheless, it would be interesting to know where the problem is coming from. Admittedly, compared to the total number of sales, these not even 200 cases represent a drop in the ocean, but it still raises a few questions.
ASRock first responded to this problem by publishing a bios update, 3.20, which improved compatibility. It also corrected a problem that prevented the PC from booting. Clearly, this fix wasn’t enough.
As you can see, the processor in question has suffered discolouration on a few pins, turning from gold to grey. And here we have confirmation that it is indeed the processor, since it was tested on different boards and no system booted. On the other hand, with a Ryzen 9 7950X, the PC boots. The question remains, is it a voltage problem? A contact fault with the socket pins? A fault on the CPU side itself? Good questions.
